Second Vic Winter's short story I read this morning (the first one was Cinnamon Dreams) but it totally fell short compared to the other one:(.

Sure the idea of one geeky nerd coming to reunion and ended up with the jock was nice (albeit a little too cliché) but it felt WAY too instant for me. Plus apparently Jason was no longer straight, but he was also a virgin here, and what, was he waiting simply for the reunion to wait for Ray, so Ray could be the one popping his cherry? Nope. It was also a bit too much of sex not enough feel for me this one.

Queen of Wands is the second book in the Sanctify series and this time around we have Jenny O’Keirna, Boone’s sister and pain in his ass! I was glad we were getting Jenny’s book, she was super fun in book one and I knew I would want her story. I’ll come out and say straight away that I thought the man for her would be Cole who she very much enjoys tormenting with her own brand of wit and sarcasm, but low and behold – she has another suitor in geek man – Mac Flannery. Mac is the inventor and genius behind Ophelia’s fathers’ weapons and sanctify would love to get their hands on him and turn the tables on the rebels; so with Boone & Ophelia out of action it’s left to Jenny to lead the rescue mission for Mac, a simple extraction before Sanctify can get their claws into him. Mac had been keeping tabs on Jenny after looking into her following Boones abduction of Ophelia in book one and he likes what he sees, he sees beneath her façade but doesn’t understand her reasoning until he meets her. Jenny is a party girl through and through and no man can ever tie her down and cage her wild ways so she’s in for a huge eye opener when geek man turns out to be geek hunk! Both are unprepared for the chemistry between them and Jenny doesn’t realise just what she’s getting into but that doesn’t mean she’ll let herself be tamed – Hells no! she’s about to take Mac on the adventure of a lifetime as they try to stay one step ahead of the enemy and avert possible war. They have a plan, it’s risky but it puts them right in the hands of the new High Priest of Sanctify…. Can they pull it off? So I really enjoyed this – I knew I would because I loved book one – it was again, exciting, sexy and action packed and opened up the universe even more. Jenny definitely made an impression in book one, she’s fun, full of sass and a girl who has no boundaries – living to be free and her own person – she has problem with authority and not being seen as a capable member of the rebellion, she knows she can do the missions but her brother tends to put a block on her activities. She practically begs for the mission to extract Mac, thinking that it will show everyone that she ‘can’ do things solo and that she will succeed. It’s all good but when she meets Mac, we see a different side to her, a side I think she even hides from herself most of the time and it lets the reader see her in a softer light rather than the dominant female she is. She protects her heart, she uses humour and snarkiness to deflect what she really feels and Mac can see through all of her BS, that’s how you know that he’s the keeper. Jenny isn’t alone in her demons, Mac has them too and some of them are the driving force behind why he does what he does but again, it’s meeting Jenny that makes him want to share, he wants to open up to this woman and he hopes she will do the same but he’s not willing to play her games and that’s what makes him different for Jenny – he doesn’t want to cage her, he doesn’t want to protect her, he wants to let her be her. I thought these two had a great dynamic between them when they get down to it, Jenny is kind of complex in her behaviours and it was always going to take someone to see through that, she was impulsive whereas Mac was a thinker, always weighing the options and results – so they balance each other out a lot – showing us some nice chemistry and a lot of sexual tension. I liked that it was a female who had the impulsive nature, using her sexuality and loving & leaving men behind and that Mac was pretty steady and wouldn’t be used for a sexual encounter, it’s not often we see this type of relationship and I thought it fitting to both characters. The storyline was a great continuation from book one and whilst we had a couple of cameos from Boone & Ophelia, it was all about Jenny & Mac. There is a new High Priest in the enemy camp and he is younger and more aware of what is going on in their worlds, everyone is on tenterhooks as to what he will do now that he’s in charge; who will he target? Will he be as harsh as his predecessor? Will Hansarda be safe until they can mount a defence? … You will find out. I liked the run and chase scenario they had going on and the fact that Jenny’s escape planet was ‘unusual’ but ‘so her’ to even suggest it, she was in control and she’d own it! Which was fun for all involved… for a while. We get a few old characters and meet a few new characters which are always welcome, plus a really cool character is back from book one that seems to be everyones’ punching bag which makes me really want her story because she and her actions are an enigma. There is no let-up in action as we get physical battles, starship battles, unexpected ambushes & power struggles - leading to some awesome fight scenes that leave you breathless. So expect an exciting, action packed read that is balanced by finding love, a person you can yourself with and some serious sexual tension & sexytime. I look forward to book 3.

It all began with a ruined elixir and an accidental bolt of lightning…

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.

Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he's also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to avenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.

But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life.

***

My Thoughts

I adored this book! It was everything I was looking for in a YA fantasy and I'm a sucker for books that are centered around boarding schools, even if in this case instead of the school being magical it was a normal human school.

Plotwise this wasn't exactly mind-blowing. There was nothing truly unpredictable about it and it was just nice and steady. One of the many aspects that made this book so good for me was the slightly different dynamics to the whole thing. Iolanthe may have the war power but she kinda sucks at wand magic, so she really isn't much a mage as is right now, but she is supposed to be killing a guy that is a unkillable, yet the guy who is sworn to protect her and actually wants to kill Bane is kickass at magic, but he won't be doing the actual killing. So even though this could have been a book centered on how much of a special snowflake Iolanthe is, it was instead about both of them, Iolanthe and Titus. Sure we get to see how awesome Iolanthe is, but not because she is such a special snowflake with her powers, but because she is resourceful and quick.

At first I was iffy with their budding relationship and I thought Iolanthe was going to end up being another silly YA heroine with her going gaga all over Titus and not realizing that he was just manipulating her. But she does realize this soon after and their 'romance' cools off quite a bit, to the point were it really takes a back seat and resurfaces every now and then. Oh, but when it does it was lovely!

"He kissed the shell of he ear. "Then let me tell you this: I live for you, and you alone"

I loved the characters. All of them. From the teachers, to the crazy lady, to the inquisitor type person, and obviously Titus and Iolanthe. They were all beautifully written, solid, and real. Another thing going for this book was the humor that was peppered around.

"Baslan held up the Citadel's copy of the Crucible. "What do you know about this book?" "Oh, that. I play Big Bad Wolf to Little Red Riding Hood. She likes it rough, did you know? I did not." "I beg your pardon?" "What else are you going to do with such a contraption? Of course Sleeping Beauty is probably prettier, but I am not going to fight dragons for any girl. And the chit who lives in the woods is agreeable enough, but those dwarfs in her cottage are perverts. They always want to watch."

And of course the selling point of The Burning Sky for me was the world building. It was phenomenal. Yes it borrows some concepts from HP but honestly at this point is pretty impossible to write something completely original, so I forgive it. There was all kinds of magic, elemental, wand magic, potions, magicla objects, like the Crucible, which btw I want one! The world it self and how it came about and why it is the way it is now. I loved all of it!

Everyone should give this book a try. Some people had an issue with the writing style. I didn't even notice it to be honest, but even with that problem you will still like this, that's just how good it is ;)

This story just gets better and better or more appropriately to quote Alice "curiouser and curiouser". I am so loving this series one of my favorite things about it is that the MC's clicked they didn't have a big, angsty blow up to discover that they care about each other that's not what gives this story it's plot and makes it so enjoyable. While I do enjoy reading a book with lots of angst and drama, I also enjoy taking a break and reading a story that is free of the dramatic conflicts of all consuming passionate love.So many questions and so many answers all waiting to be discovered in the third and final book, so off I go to get my answers because curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought him back (or in this case her, being me).So here we go..... down the rabbit hole....

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